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U.S. Senate Reading of the Articles CSPAN January 19, 2020 12:13pm-12:30pm EST

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>> excuse us.

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>> the hour of 12:00 noon having arrived, the sergeant in arms will present the managers on the part of the representatives. >> mr. president, i announce the presence of the managers on the powder debt on the part of the house of representatives to conduct proceedings on behalf of the house in the impeachment of donald trump. >> on the part of the house, will be received and escorted to the well of the senate.

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the sergeant in arms will make the proclamation. >> all persons are commanded to keep silent. on pain of imprisonment. while the house of representatives is exhibiting the senate articles of impeachment against donald trump. >> the managers on the part of the house will proceed.

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>> mr. president, the managers on the part of the house are present and ready to present the articles of impeachment, which have been preferred by the house of representatives against donald trump. the house adopted the following resolution, which, with permission of the senate, i will read. house resolution 798. appointing and authorizing managers for the impeachment of donald trump, president of the united states. resolve that mr. schiff, mr. nadler, ms. lofgren, mr. jeffries, miss demings, mr. crow, and ms. garcia are appointed managers to conduct the impeachment trial against donald trump. that a message be sent to the senate to inform the senate of these appointments and that the managers may, in connection with the preparation and conduct of

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the trial, may exhibit articles of impeachment to the senate and take all other actions necessary, which may include the following. employing legal, clerical, and other assistance and incurring other expenses as may be necessary to be paid from amount available to the committee on the judiciary under applicable expense resolutions. number two, persons and papers filing with the secretary of the senate on the part of the house, any pleadings and conjunction with or subsequent to the exhibition of the articles of impeachment that of the managers may consider necessary. i will now read the articles of impeachment. house resolution 755, impeaching donald trump, president of the united states, for high crimes and misdemeanors. resolved.

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the president, donald trump, president of the united states, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the united states senate. articles of impeachment, exhibited by the house, in the name of itself and of the people of the united states, against donald trump, president of the united states, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors. article one, abuse of power. the constitution provides that the house of representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment and that the president shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. in his conduct of the office of the president of the united

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states, and in violation of his constitutional oath, faithfully to execute the office of president of the united states, and to the best of his ability preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states, and in violation of his duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, donald trump has abused the powers of the presidency in that using the power of his office, president trump solicited the interference of a foreign government, ukraine, in the 2020 united states presidential election. he did so through a scheme or course of conduct that included soliciting the government of ukraine to publicly announce investigations that would benefit his reelection, harm the election prospects of a political opponent, and influence the 2020 united states presidential election to his

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advantage. president trump also sought to pressure the government of ukraine to take these steps by conditioning official united states government acts of significant value to ukraine on its public announcement of the investigations. president trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit. in so doing, president trump used the powers of the presidency in a manner that compromised the national security of the united states and undermined the integrity of the united states' democratic process. he ignored and injured the interests of the nation. present trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct through the following means. number one, president trump acting directly and through his agents, within and outside the united states government,

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solicited the government of ukraine to publicly announce investigations into a political opponent, former vice president joe biden, and a discredited theory promoted by russia alleging that ukraine rather than russia interfered in the 2016 united states presidential election. number two, with the same corrupt motives, president trump acting directly and through his agents within and outside the united states government conditioned two official acts. the release of $390 million of united states taxpayer funds, that congress had appropriated on a bipartisan basis for the purpose of providing vital

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military assistance against russian aggression, and donald trump had ordered suspended. and a head of state meeting at the white house, which the president of ukraine sought to demonstrate continued united states support for the government of ukraine in the face of russian aggression. number three, faced with the public revelation of his actions, president trump ultimately released to the military and security assistance to the government of ukraine, but has persisted in openly and corruptly urging and soliciting ukraine to undertake investigations for his personal political benefit. these actions were consistent with president trump's previous invitations of the foreign interference in the united states elections. in all of this, president trump abused the powers of the presidency by ignoring and injuring national security and other national interests to obtain an improper personal political benefit.

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he has also betrayed the nation by abusing his office to enlist a foreign power in corrupting democratic elections. wherefore president trump by such conduct has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the constitution if allowed to remain in office and has acted in a manner incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. president trump warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the united states. article two. obstruction of congress. the constitution provides that the house of representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment and that the president shall be removed from office on impeachment for and

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conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of president, and to the best of his ability preserve, protect, and defend the constitution, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, donald trump has directed the unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas issued by the house of representatives pursuant to its sole power of impeachment. president trump has abused the power of the presidency in a manner offensive to and subversive of the constitution in that the house of representatives has engaged in an impeachment inquiry focused on donald trump's solicitation

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of the government of ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election. as part of this impeachment inquiry, the committee's undertaking the investigation served subpoenas seeking documents and testimony deemed vital to the inquiry from executive branch agencies and offices and current and former officials. in response, without lawful cause or excuse, president trump directed executive branch agencies, offices, and officials not to comply with those subpoenas. president trump interposed the powers of the presidency against the lawful subpoenas of the house of representatives and assumed to himself functions and judgments necessary to exercise the sole power of impeachment, vested by the constitution to the house of representatives.

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the president abuse the powers of his office to the following means. number one, directing the white house to defy a lawful subpoena by withholding the production of documents sought by the committees. number two, directing other executive branch agencies and offices to defy lawful subpoenas and withhold the production of documents and records from the committees in response to which the department of state, office of management and budget, apartment of energy, and department of defense refused to produce a single document or record. directing current and former executive branch officials not to cooperate with the committees in response to which nine administration officials defied subpoenas for testimony, namely robert blair, mick mulvaney, john eisenberg, michael ellis, preston wells griffith, russell t bott, michael duffey, brian

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mccormick, and t ulrich brengle. these actions were consistent with president trump's previous efforts to undermine the united states government investigations into foreign interference in united states elections. through these actions, president trump sought to arrogate to himself the right to determine the propriety, scope, and nature of the impeachment inquiry into his own conduct, as well as the unilateral prerogative to deny all information to the house of representatives in the exercise of its sole power of impeachment. in the history of the republic, no president has ever ordered the complete defiance of an impeachment inquiry or sought to obstruct and impede so comprehensively the ability of

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the house to investigate high crimes and misdemeanors. this abuse of office to cover up the president own misconduct and seize and control the power of impeachment and thus nullify a vital constitutional safeguard vested solely in the house of representatives. in all of this, president trump acted in a manner contrary to his trust as president and subversive of constitutional government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the united states. wherefore, president trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that people remain a threat to the constitution if allowed to remain in office. and has acted in a manner wherefore, president trump, by incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. president trump warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and

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disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the united states. mr. president, that completes the exhibition of the articles of impeachment against donald trump, president of the united states. the manager's request that the senate take order for the trial, the managers request leave to withdraw. >> thank you, mr. schiff. the senate will notify the house of representatives when it is ready to proceed to trial.